G16’s struggle on day 2

Orlando, Florida – Pilipa’a 16-1 was riding high after winning their pool on day one, however tougher competition and too many unforced errors led to a change in outcomes on the second day of competition at the 43rd Annual AAU Volleyball National Championships.

Pilipa’a lost their first match of the day to Minnesota Select 0-2(17-25, 24-26). Pilipa’a had issues in game 1 with a ton of hitting and passing errors, but refused to give up. They came back strong in the second game, but were unable to overcome the eventual undefeated pool winner.

Pilipa’a played West 16 Elite in a back and forth second match of pool play. Pilipa’a looked outstanding at times including a dominating performance in game two where they won 25-11, however they continued to struggle with unforced errors and lost the match 1-2 (20-25, 25-11, 14-16).

Pilipa’a lost 0-2 (18-25, 18-25) to a very tough Woodlands Revolution team in their final match of the night. Pilipa’a started off slow in game digging themselves in to a 12-3 hole before turning up the heat and bringing the game to within 4 points. The gap proved a bit to big to overcome. Pilipa’a fought hard in game two and had some of their best and longest rallys of the tournament however the tough serving of the Revolution team led to a number of service aces and kept Pilipa’a out of system for most of the match. Despite the loss, Pilipa’a’s aggressive play on the court and friendly demeanor off the court earned the respect of the Woodlands Revolution players and parents.

It was a tough day with a few losses in winnable games, however the day proved to be valuable with many learning opportunities. Much of our success and/or challenges are directly tied to what happens on our side of the net. We can compete and often times overpower our opponents, however unforced errors will take away that advantage. Working on consistency will be our focus on day three. Pilipa’a will play LVA 16 Elite, City Beach 16-2 and A5 South at the ESPN Wide World of Sports on Saturday.